The Sound and the Fury: An Image of Eden

The edenic story within The Sound and the Fury is an integral image. This biblical symbol is found and expanded on in a few different aspects of the memories, particularly centering around the day of Damuddy's death. Faulkner does not simply concentrate on the fall into sin, but also, as Mary Dell Fletcher puts it in "Edenic Images In The Sound and the Fury", "a falling into knowledge."

Benjy is Faulkner's Adam. He is the epitome of innocence. Though this innocence, Fletcher argues, because of his lack of free will or even of knowledge of good and evil. These concepts are explored through the concept of time. Benjy's memories are not separated into different time periods. They not distinct from one another, but are rather mixed together into a single, expanded memory. While Benjy certainly in certainly a beautiful model of innocence, Fletcher fails to acknowledge and discuss his reaction to Caddy on the night when she will not wash herself. In this case, Benjy has fallen in to knowledge, but lacks understanding of that knowledge. He knows that Caddy is different , but doesn't understand exactly why, or why she can't fix it.

Caddy's fall from grace is the central story within The Sound and the Fury. The edenic image is most obviously shown in the scene of the night of Damuddy's death. This scene clearly foreshadows her future sinful acts and choices. On page 58, as Caddy attempts to climb the tree (a fruit tree) in order to see the funeral, Versh says, " Your paw told you to stay out that tree." Caddy responds, "That was a long time ago. . . I expect he's forgotten about it. "The story of Eve's disobedience could not be more clear in this moment. Also like Eve, Fletcher points out, as Caddy peers down into Damuddy's funeral, she sees death, but can not understand its immediate meaning. Furthermore, this scene particularly notes the stain on Caddy's undergarments. This stain symbolizes both the sin and the "inclination to sin", which Caddy's future acts demonstrate.

Finally, this scene examines not only the significance of these acts and images on the characters present, but also on the future generations. Caddy's climb into the tree is a fabulous foreshadowing of her daughter's decent from that same tree; signifying the effect of one choice--one sin-- on many people both in the present and in the future; just as Eve's choice stained each person with original sin, effecting each generation to come.

Word Count: 416